President Moon Jae-in met with a delegation led by Representative Ed Royce, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, at Cheong Wa Dae from 11:00 to 11:40 this morning.

During the meeting, they had extensive and meaningful discussions on many issues, including the significance and reinforcement of the ROK-U.S. alliance, the advancement of the KORUS FTA and measures to resolve the North Korean nuclear and missile issues.

Mentioning Chairman Ed Royce and everyone in the delegation by name, President Moon expressed his special gratitude to them for their individual efforts to promote Korea-U.S. relations and for their warm welcome during his visit to the United States last June.

Regarding the ROK-U.S. alliance, the U.S. delegation said that history would give a high evaluation to the friendly ties between the two countries that share the values of family, security and democracy and that it was stronger than at any time before. It went on to say that North Korea should know that the current problem could be solved through dialogue, not confrontation, adding that the North’s provocation would only make the ROK-U.S. alliance even more robust.

In this connection, President Moon said that the ROK-U.S. alliance went beyond a military and security alliance to evolve into a comprehensive one encompassing economic, social and cultural issues. The President went on to say that the Republic of Korea would work together with the United States in the years to come in dealing with global issues concerning the dissemination of liberal democracy, promotion of human rights and prevention of terrorist acts. 

President Moon next said that the KORUS FTA was the most advanced one the United States had ever signed with Asian countries and that it was making significant contributions to the development of both countries. He also pledged efforts to promote the mutual progress of the two countries through the KORUS FTA.

Regarding the North Korean issue, President Moon said the complete dismantlement of its nuclear program needed to be achieved ultimately through dialogue coupled with sanctions and pressure. The President continued to say that even if a phased approach to dismantlement were taken, thorough verifications should be made at each stage and the verification should ensure that every stage was irreversible.

In response, the U.S. delegation said that in solving the North Korean issue, efforts needed to be made for a peaceful resolution through sanctions and pressure.

Attending today’s meeting were Representative Ed Royce, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs; Representative Ted Yoho, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific; Representative Ami Bera; Representative Brad Schneider; Representative Jennifer Gonzalez, and Marc Knapper, Chargé d`Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.